Afterschool Lessons
by ObeseCommando
Summary: Jaune seeks Ruby's assistance to become a better leader and gets more than he asked for. Requested by a bro on DeviantART.


Despite any and all claims to the contrary, Jaune Arc was not ignorant to the thoughts of those around him. How could he be when there were so many signs? He saw the brief hesitation in Nora's actions, the criticizing glint in Ren's eyes, and the way Pyrrha forced herself to smile just a little bit wider when he sought her advice. Their thoughts were clear: they did not trust him.

Although his team was being admirably loyal and sparing his feelings by not confronting him, he knew that they were talking about him behind his back. They were picking his every decision apart while telling him that he was doing a good job, and the taste of betrayal, of pity, almost made him vomit.

Not for the first time, Jaune walked through the halls of Beacon Academy in a listless daze. He passed by the other students that were on their way to classes or immersed in their studies. Although the other students were fresh-faced youths, all of them had passed through unimaginable trials to get into the prestigious academy, all so they could live a thankless life under an ever-increasing burden. Meanwhile, he had only forged some transcripts and prayed no one would notice. They certainly weren't the actions of a hero. Jaune lowered his head as he passed a nervous Faunus girl with rabbit ears and a piece of paper in her hands. He didn't doubt that she could kill a horde of Grimm before he could draw his sword. And that was the problem, Jaune decided. He wore the uniform, but he didn't belong. He was the odd man out, and he couldn't change that no matter how hard he tried.

A passing red cloak caught Jaune's attention and, like a drowning man seeking any form of rescue, he found himself approaching his friend, Ruby Rose. The typically energetic leader of Team RWBY was walking away, a skip in her step as she disappeared into the student dorms. Jaune followed her, unable to shake the feeling that he looked like he was creeping after her. He wanted to say something to her, but the doubts started to pile onto his shoulders and made his breath come in panicked gasps. What if she didn't like him either? What if she saw him as some failure too?

The line of thought never manifested itself further, as Jaune realized that Ruby was about to enter her dorm room. He could talk to Ruby by herself, but he couldn't do anything if the rest of her team was present. It would obliterate his chances with Weiss if she knew he doubted himself.

"Ruby!" Jaune shouted.

The redhead immediately turned on her heel and smiled. "Oh, hi Jaune. What've you been up to?" Before he could respond, Ruby squinted and asked, "Are you feeling well? You look a little pale."

Jaune scratched the back of his head. His instincts told him to deflect the question, but a fellow team leader was the only one who could help him. Swallowing past his nerves, he said, "Actually, I have some questions. About leadership."

Ruby's smile returned. "Lay'em on me."

"Well, I just keep having these thoughts lately. I keep thinking that I can't be the sort of leader my team needs." He saw Ruby shift her weight and open her mouth. He raised a hand to cut her off. "Then I see that you and the rest of your team are always getting together really well and getting good grades. How do you do it? How do you inspire your team to listen?"

Ruby tapped her chin. "You need to know your teammates, Jaune. You spend a lot of time with Pyrrha, but I don't see you with Ren or Nora that much. Don't be intimidated by them. They will have to rely on you in battle just as much as you will with them."

"I'm not intimidated by my teammates," Jaune said with a wave.

"Alright. I also had to learn to have an open mind with everyone. Just because you're the leader doesn't mean that your teammates won't make a suggestion that you never would've thought of, and it's always great to make sure no one is left out of the decision making process."

Jaune scratched the back of his arm. He hadn't considered asking for anyone's opinions before. He was about to ask another question when the door for Ruby's dorm opened and Yang Xiao Long walked out. Her blonde hair was in even more disarray than usual, and Jaune had the impression that she had just rolled out of bed. Ruby looked over her shoulder and her smile grew much wider. "Hey, you."

Yang looked over Ruby and grinned. "Time for practice?"

"Yeah. We tried to call you, but your scroll was conveniently turned off." Yang reached over her head and stretched. Jaune tried to ignore the way the blonde's chest rose. "You're not going to convince me to let you skip out of practice with your boobs again, Yang," Ruby said.

The blonde raised an eyebrow and leaned toward Ruby. "I wasn't gonna say anything about that. In fact, I'm more than ready to throw some punches. But it sounds like _someone_ is a little deprived."

Jaune couldn't see Ruby's face, but he could imagine her blushing, as Yang suddenly let out a loud laugh. Jaune wondered if he should laugh to. Perhaps they were just joking around to mess with him. Then Ruby jumped into her sister, pushing their lips together so hard that it made Jaune's teeth hurt.

Yang wrapped her arms around the smaller redhead and turned around so that Ruby was pressed against the door. The two sisters' lips didn't part during the maneuver. Though Jaune was staring at Yang's back, he could see Ruby's hands reaching around and squeezing Yang's butt with such force that he was sure it would hurt a normal person and render them unable to walk for a week. Their moans and gasps were synchronous.

Jaune stuck a finger under his collar in an attempt to get away from the sudden heat building around them. He had lost track of time as the two sisters continued, either oblivious or indifferent to their audience. Had Ruby forgotten about their conversation? Should he go and talk to her at a better time? Yang had shifted to put her knee between Ruby's legs when the redhead's hands grabbed Yang's hair and pulled the blonde's head back.

"You're still going to practice," Ruby panted.

"I know," Yang said. "But what about the after-practice practice?"

Jaune could see Ruby's silver eyes light up. "You should know that you'll never get out of that."

Yang gave a pout, but it only lasted a second before her usual grin was back. "Great. See you out in the field." She peeled away from Ruby, but not before securing one last kiss, which Ruby eagerly reciprocated. Unlike the other times, the sisters kept their lips closed, but Jaune noticed that Yang's hands twitched to resume their previous activities. When Yang turned around and saw Jaune, he was convinced that he was going to be killed for being there. Instead, Yang winked and said, "Good seein' you, Jaune!"

"Uh. Likewise?" he said to the blonde's retreating form.

Ruby cleared her throat. "So like I was saying: you have to know the people you're going to lead. After all, you all have the same goal, and that's to make the world a better place. It's not an easy task to be a team leader, but you just have to put forth the effort." Ruby paused to check her scroll. "Ah, shoot. Now I have to get to practice before Yang or else I'll have Weiss on me. It was good seeing you, Jaune." Ruby put a hand on Jaune's shoulder as she passed by. After seeing where that hand had been, he couldn't help but wonder what else Ruby had done to Yang. And what was that about Weiss? Surely that had to be a joke. Right? Jaune shook his head before he could think of the icy heiress engaging in every sort of activity with his friend. He decided to focus on what Ruby had said, but his mind then latched onto the two sisters and their heated makeout session in the middle of the hall. Perhaps there was some sort of hidden message in it?

Head filling with more questions than usual, Jaune took out his scroll and entered his dorm. Lie Ren was the only other member of Team JNPR there, and he was reading. The quiet man looked up and gave Jaune a curt nod before going back to his book. However, instead of moving from the door, Jaune just stared at Ren's lips, thinking.


End file.
